Incarcerated men and women watch nature videos on a loop in a mental health program.
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Physical and Mental Health - Exercise, Fitness and Activity
Healthy body, healthy mind! Physical Exercise, Fitness, Running, Jogging, Gym and Activity. Twitter Hashtag: #GymEd Curated by Peter Mellow |
Rescooped by Peter Mellow from Hospitals and Healthcare |
Incarcerated men and women watch nature videos on a loop in a mental health program.
Scooped by Peter Mellow |
Whether you call it a fitness trend or a mindfulness practice (or a bit of both), what exactly is forest bathing? The term emerged in Japan in the 1980s as a physiological and psychological exercise called shinrin-yoku (“forest bathing” or “taking in the forest atmosphere”). The purpose was twofold: to offer an eco-antidote to tech-boom burnout and to inspire residents to reconnect with and protect the country’s forests.
The Japanese quickly embraced this form of ecotherapy. In the 1990s, researchers began studying the physiological benefits of forest bathing, providing the science to support what we innately know: time spent immersed in nature is good for us. While Japan is credited with the term shinrin-yoku, the concept at the heart of the practice is not new. Many cultures have long recognized the importance of the natural world to human health.
Forest bathing is not just for the wilderness-lover; the practice can be as simple as walking in any natural environment and consciously connecting with what’s around you. For a more structured experience, you can join trained guides for a meditative two- to three-hour ecotherapy excursion. Here are five places to try forest bathing.
Scooped by Peter Mellow |
Rather than just moving from A to B, think about your surroundings and the wider ramifications of your walk
Link thanks to @DrHinckson
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“Forest bathing is about walking slowly and quietly and noticing what’s around you – you might only cover 1.5 kilometres in three hours,” D’Appio says.
“You just notice that leaf there, this tree over here, that bug crawling on the tree. It’s just [about] being in nature and watching stuff and seeing what happens. There’s something really different about slowing the body down as opposed to speeding it up.”
D’Appio says research links forest bathing with a reduction in stress hormones and feelings of depression and anxiety, as well as enhanced immunity, and he says that unlike a hike to a particular summit, forest bathing seeks no “destination”.
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Assistant Professor Kevin Kemp-Smith has discovered one of the best things people can do to tackle anxiety and depression is to just add water.
Scooped by Peter Mellow |
We have long known that connecting with nature in green spaces is great for our mental health. Now fresh research is showing that time near water - by the coast, rivers and even fountains in the park - is even more restorative
Rescooped by Peter Mellow from The philosophy of fitness, exercise, sport and running |
Walking mindfully in the rain is a wonderful opportunity to get closer to nature, and our true nature.
Rescooped by Peter Mellow from The philosophy of fitness, exercise, sport and running |
Einstein’s daily walk was sacred to him. While he was working at Princeton University, New Jersey, he’d walk the mile and a half journey there and back. He followed in the footsteps of other diligent walkers, including Darwin who went for three 45 minute walks every day.
These constitutionals weren’t just for fitness – there’s mountains of evidence that walking can boost memory, creativity and problem-solving. For creativity at least, walking outside is even better. But why?